Strange Lightning
by Karen1121
Summary: Big Al and Sweet Ann defy the laws of science (and maybe common morals) in the quest for a child. [Rated T for themes of death. TW: Brief mentions of gore.]


**This piece was a collaboration with a friend called Cimarrone on Vocaloid Amino after discussing headcanons for Oliver and his parents. I hope you enjoy~**

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[Written by Cimarrone]

Sweet Ann trembled with fear; She knew Big Al was a man who was willing to do anything just for her, but this was a bit too extreme.

Al was full of doubt and hesitation; he didn't want to do this, but he would do anything than see his wife cry in despair every day and see Mayu in pain and confusion.

The couple took a deep breath and opened the gates. The black metal made a painful creaking noise as the hinges were covered with rust. They went in the graveyard and looked for a child that was adequate enough for their standards. Hopefully, this would be the last time they did it.

'1995-2004' nope. '2000-2003' too old. '2004-2004' too young.

'2003-2004'

It was a grave where the 'tombstone' was made with wood, and it was really rushed up so that the '2003-2004' was the only coherent word. It probably meant that this child seemed like a 'nobody'….

A one-year old kid…

A nobody…

Perfect.

Ann handed the other shovel to Al and they began digging up the grave. Soon enough, they hit something hard and they finally dug up the coffin. They brought the coffin out and covered the dug-up hole. They carried the coffin and put it in their truck along with the other coffins.

* * *

Ann felt sick- They were actually doing it. They were going to make a child in the most horrible way. The gore, the blood—it was too much.

Al was setting up the electricity and all while she was stitching up their 'child'. She gagged a few times, but she managed to put the other eye in its socket. She was stitching up the face when suddenly someone called out to her.

"Mommy, what are you doing?"

She turned around and saw Mayu. Mayu had bloodshot eyes again and was holding a teddy bear. Ann covered the child that she was stitching up so Mayu couldn't see it. She went up to Mayu and hugged her. Mayu wondered why her mother smelled so bad and had blood all over her but did not question it and instead hugged Ann back.

"You're finally gonna have a baby brother, Mayu."

Mayu's eyes widened and looked at her mom. Ann saw the surprise and excitement in Mayu's eyes. Mayu jumped and screamed in joy while Ann just looked at her, a small smile on her face as she watches her daughter finally happy.

"At least she's happy..."

* * *

[Written by Karen1121]

"Al," Ann called blankly, "it's finished." She turned away from her work, sickened, and watched Al connect the last of the cables to the table on which the body lay.

Al glanced at the sky above them, visible through the hole in the makeshift laboratory they had built. The night sky was an inky black, and thickening clouds gathered ominously. Peals of thunder rolled in the distance.

"Good night for a storm," he remarked.

Ann nodded and numbly felt her way over to a chair. With a heavy sigh, she collapsed in the chair and watched the table with a blank expression. She looked down at her blood-drenched hands; they were trembling violently.

Al walked over and gently put his hands on her thin shoulders. She looked up and tried to smile, but her face betrayed her and she delivered little more than a grimace.

"You okay?" he asked.

Ann stared at the table again. "It's so awful," she said miserably.

Al knelt down, wrapping his arms around her in a tight hug. "I know. I know it's bad now," he reassured her, "but it'll be worth it."

"What if they hate him?" Ann's voice was a whisper.

Al paused.

"He'll never be like other children. What if they hate him?" she repeated.

"He'll still be our son," Al replied slowly. "As long as we love him, that doesn't matter."

Ann opened her mouth to respond, but a crackle of lighting in the distance interrupted her. The two looked up in surprise.

"I guess it's starting," Al mused. "I'll go power it up."

He stood up and hurried over to a machine while Ann slumped in her chair. She watched the lightning streak through the sky, eyes darting from the hole in the roof to the table and back again.

"Okay, we're all set," Al called.

He returned to Ann and sat down on the ground next to her, taking her small hand in his. She squeezed it without a word.

For what seemed like hours, the storm raged on around them. Wind whipped through the lab, upturning papers and sending the room into disarray. There was little rain, however, and the couple was grateful to not need to cover all the equipment.

Every time a sliver of lightning struck within sight, the two jumped. Ann's exhausted nerves were frazzled. She squeezed Al's hand again, hoping his fingers wouldn't go numb.

With a roar, a bolt of lightning tore into the lab and struck the lightning rod as hoped. The lab sizzled with energy, crackling fingers of light streaking across the room. The machines roared to life and added their own humming to the thunderous noise.

Al and Ann clung to each other, huddled against the wall. As quickly as it had come, the lightning vanished and left them shaking in silence that felt deafeningly louder than before.

Al and Ann glanced at each other, stunned. Loosening his tight grip on Ann's shoulders, Al coughed. "Did it work?"

Before Ann could respond, a small whimper sounded from the table. It was feeble but grew louder, and it quickly broke into the familiar shrieks of a baby's cries.

Ann jumped to her feet and rushed over to the table. She grabbed a nearby blanket from the floor and scooped the child up, tenderly wrapping him in the blanket's folds.

"Shh," Ann soothed, gently rocking the child in her arms. Any sign of horror was banished from her face in an instant.

The child slowly quieted, staring up at Ann. His eyes hungrily explored her pale face, and a small, trusting smile formed on his lips.

Ann stroked the small wisp of blond hair on his head. For the first time, she looked past the stitch-covered scar running from his forehead to his cheek and saw the rest of his face. His eyes were mismatched, one red and one amber. The latter reminded Ann of Al's eyes, and she smiled.

Al quietly walked up to her, putting his hands on her shoulders and beaming proudly. "It worked," he breathed.

She smiled again, her tired eyes twinkling.

"We should get inside," she said softly, remembering the storm above them. Al nodded and went to power down the machines. After he was finished, they walked inside the house connected to the small lab.

Before they got far, they heard a pitter-patter of tiny feet on the wood floor. Al chuckled softly as Mayu's blonde head timidly poked out from around the corner.

"Mommy? Daddy?" she asked quietly, tugging at her nightgown. "Why were you outside?"

Al flicked a nearby switch to turn on the lights and opened his arms. Mayu climbed into them with her beloved teddy bear in tow. "Come meet your new little brother," Al invited her. He turned so Mayu could see the small bundle wrapped in Ann's arms.

Mayu gasped, leaning over for a closer look. She grinned ecstatically, her eyes poring over his smiling face.

"Where'd he come from?" she asked.

Al and Ann exchanged glances. "From the lightning," Al lied. "It was very special lightning."

"Did I come from lightnin' too?" Mayu asked excitedly.

"No, no," Al laughed, "He's special. You came from Mommy, remember?"

"Ohh," said Mayu, still somewhat perplexed.

"Do you want to hold him?" Ann asked her.

Mayu's golden eyes lit up. "Can I?"

Ann nodded, and Al set her down and led her over to the couch in the living room. "If you sit still, you can hold him," he told her as she hopped up on the couch. Sitting beside her, Ann demonstrated how to hold the child without hurting him. "See?" she showed her.

Ann gently placed the child in Mayu's arms as Al sat down beside them. "Careful," Ann reminded Mayu. "Don't let go."

Mayu looked down at the child, thrilled. She rocked him slowly like Ann had done, and he rested his head contentedly against her chest.

"He smells funny," she said.

"Babies usually do," Al chuckled.

"What's he got on his face?" she asked, looking at his scar.

Ann hesitated. "When the lighting brought him, he needed to be fixed up a bit," she explained. "But it's normal. It doesn't hurt."

"Pretty funny lightnin'," Mayu mumbled, and her parents laughed.

The child briefly opened his eyes to the noise. "Look," Mayu said, noticing his gold eye, "he looks like me!"

"Yes, he does," Ann agreed. "And like Daddy."

"He has your blonde hair, too," Al pointed out.

"I like him," Mayu said happily, and Ann smiled in relief.

"What you gonna call him?"

Al and Ann exchanged glances again. They had been preparing for this moment for so long, but in their anticipation they had neglected to choose a name. They had assumed that one would present itself eventually, but none that they had come up with seemed to fit.

"What do you think we should call him?" Al asked. Ann started to speak, but she stopped herself.

Mayu furrowed her brow in thought, looking down at the child in her arms. This was clearly a momentous occasion and deserved a great deal of consideration.

Al and Ann waited, hoping she wouldn't suggest something ridiculous.

"Oliver," she said finally. "I wanna call 'im Oliver."

Al and Ann smiled. "I like that," Ann said softly. "My little Oliver."

Oliver had already fallen asleep in Mayu's arms, and he smiled slightly as he slept.

"He still looks kinda funny," Mayu said bluntly, watching his breathing. "But I like him." She held him closer to her chest proudly. "I'm gonna like being a big sister!"


End file.
